Welcome Remarks byStephanie Bergeron – President, Walsh College Michigan Community College Association Conference
Traverse City, MichiganJuly 20, 2011
Good evening and welcome! I like to think of this annual conference as a college reunion … a reunion that I can look forward to every year … to catch up with colleagues who have shared a relationship with Walsh College for many, many years as well the opportunity to talk with those of you I haven’t met.
We have partnerships with Michigan’s community college so that students can easily transfer their credits to Walsh for a bachelor’s degree. Today, more than 85% of our undergraduate students transfer from community colleges. Once they come to Walsh, 76% graduate within five years
Their average cumulative GPA is 3.2.
Many go on to achieve advanced degrees. And we can all share in their great success once they are out in the real world.
We are always proud when they come back to us. At the Walsh spring commencement on June 25, we conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws on Patrick Campbell, Walsh BBA 1975. The first two years before Walsh, Patrick worked and went to Oakland University and Oakland Community College. Patrick recently retired from 3M as their senior vice president and chief financial officer.
In high school, Jerry Schafer liked flipping hamburgers at McDonald’s more than doing his homework. When he enrolled atMacomb Community College Jerry began to excel academically. He earned a Bachelor of Accountancy from Walsh and went to work for McDonald’s Corporation, not flipping burgers this time, but in worldwide development, opening 460 restaurants in China. Jerry recently retired as corporate vice president of worldwide development.
At the OCC spring commencement, Huron Valley Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Johnston was named Outstanding Alumna for 2011. Jacqueline earned an associate degree in business administration summa cum laude; a Walsh Bachelor of Accountancy, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
Walsh traces its decision to partner with community colleges to 1968, when we began granting bachelor’s degrees and decided to become an upper-division. In 1970, we built our main campus in Troy so that we would be positioned between the new Macomb and Oakland community colleges.
Our first students transferred from Macomb and OCC, followed by Schoolcraft and St. Clair County. You can see their student demographic and graduation information on the posters displayed in this room.
Today, we are taking full advantage of online technology so that community college students can earn a Walsh bachelor’s degree in the classroom, online, or a combination of both. Since April, we welcomed new partners Kalamazoo Valley; Glen Oaks; Alpena, Kirtland, and West Shore.
I want to note that all of our Walsh community college partners are eligible to participate in the Honors Fast Track program. This program is a way for students to earn an associate’s and a Walsh BBA and MBA in a timely and cost- efficient manner while remaining on your campus.
An employee from each of your colleges also has the opportunity to earn a tuition-free Walsh College master’s degree. Since 1993, 16 students have graduated from the Community College Graduate Fellowship program.Robert Spann, a recruiter from OCC, graduated this spring with a Master of Management.
You may be interested in reading more about the Fellowship program and some information on a few of our community college partners on the posters in this room.
I hope you enjoy this evening’s reception. I look forward to meeting with you and catching up on your news. Thank you.